Songs of the Blood
by Vampiric Dragonrider
Summary: A series of nonlinear, "same world" short stories featuring trolls as humans and following their stories. Humanstuck, if you will. First story centers around Gamzee and Tavros


**Songs of the Blood**

**Not sure what to rate this, but as Gamzee swears much and there's references to drugs, it will be rated M.**

**Hey all, I've jumped the Homestuck bandwagon! I've been fooling around with some Humanstuck ideas, and I guess this'll be a series of vignettes or short stories. It will be great fun. Feel free to suggest ideas! They'll all be in the same "world", but the timeline won't necessarily be linear. I.E. if someone died in the previous chapter, they could be alive in the next; it would take place some time before they died. There will also be some that could be considered "sequels" to previous chapters. I will warn you when this happens.**

**It's a bit of an experiment, shall we say. We'll see how it turns out!**

* * *

The day had been needlessly long for Gamzee Makara.

Today marked the last day of school before Winter Break. It might have been a half day, but for him it was the longest day of his life. His dad, Giles Makara, had said he would be coming home that afternoon, and Gamzee couldn't wait to go great him. His dad was almost never home, and every time Giles was, it was never for long. As an added bonus to the day, Tavros would be joining him to spend the first afternoon of Winter Break with him! Yeah!

The time spent in school was time spent gazing out of the window. As soon as the last bell rang, Gamzee was the first one out. His chauffeur Cap was already waiting, and immediately he jumped in and drove through the city to Tavros's inner city school. Once there, he jumped out and waved at the black boy sitting in a wheelchair near the iron fence. Tavros saw Gamzee immediately and wheeled to join him. Gamzee happily ruffled his black Mohawk. If he stood, Tavros would be a whole head-and-neck shorter than him, but Gamzee was taller than most people, so it wasn't so shocking. They climbed into the backseat of the car together.

"I'm so glad I'll finally be able to meet your dad!" Tavros told his friend. Gamzee had the hood of his dark purple sweatshirt pulled over his mass of wild chestnut curls, and looked at his friend with droopy dark blue eyes, a joint already dangling from his grinning mouth. Gamzee had already met both of Tavros's parents, Farley and Fay, who were warm and friendly and adored their only son. Truth be told, he was a bit jealous of his dark-skinned friend. Money could not replace the single father that was never there.

"Me too," said Gamzee honestly. "I'm hoping he'll stay for the entire winter break, at least until Christmas." It was wish not very likely to be fulfilled, but he wished it all the same. Tavros shared a kind smile with him – he wouldn't understand completely, but he did at least a little. The boy had an open heart and a vivid imagination.

Tavros turned his attention to the city slowly slipping by outside the window, and Gamzee gazed softly at him, at his lame legs. A boy like Tavros shouldn't be paralyzed from the waist down. He was kind, and shy, stuttering when nervous – which was often – yet all the same some bitch decided he wasn't good enough. The very thought made Gamzee's blood run hot with anger. He couldn't help but think that if he had been there, _she_ would be paralyzed instead of his Tavbro.

Soon enough they reached the tall white building that housed the Makara suite. Gamzee pushed Tavros to the elevator and they rode the lift up to the top floor. They entered the suite only to see Giles Makara, a large goateed man with curly brown hair much like a shorter version of Gamzee's, hurriedly packing a briefcase.

Gamzee stood there dumbstruck as the realization of what this action meant slowly sunk in. "Dad," he said slowly, his voice small. "Leaving so soon?"

"Sorry son," said Giles, "but I gotta run. My work waits for no one." He saw Tavros and paused. "Oh, and who's this?"

Gamzee was still trying to find words when Tavros spoke up shyly. "I'm, uh, Tavros, sir. Tavros Nitram. Gamzee's friend." Gamzee nodded in agreement. Friend, yeah, that's it. Friend…

Giles stuck out a hand and Tavros shook it. "Nice to meet you, Nitram." He shut his briefcase with a click, picked up a suitcase besides the door, and kissed Gamzee on the forehead. "Bye, son. I gotta go; I have a plane to catch. Don't know when I'll be back." And just like that, he was gone.

Gamzee was silent as he wheeled Tavros into the family room and lifted him onto the couch. He pulled out another joint, lit it, and flopped back down on the couch. Tavros said nothing, feeling awkward.

After a long, pregnant pause in which Gamzee took several long drags on his joint, he finally spoke up. "Want anything to drink, Tavbro?" he asked politely, standing to retrieve a Faygo from the fridge.

"Moon Mist, please," Tavros said, smiling at his nickname.

As the afternoon progressed, the two of them chatted amiably, and the topic of dream jobs came up. Gamzee joked that he would become ruler of the world and make everyone wear facepaint and polka-dotted clownish pants like the ones he was fond of, and Tavros mentioned seriously that he would like to be a veterinarian. Then Gamzee got out his face paint and together they painted their faces into stupid-looking clown masks, laughing the entire time at the absurdity. Afterwards, Tavros tried to get Gamzee to understand both LARPing and Magic: The Gathering, but the taller boy just couldn't make heads or tails of it all.

"No, Gamzee, you only get one battle phase per turn. And you have to declare all attackers at once…"

"But I want to use this motherfucking spell to power up my attackers!"

"It's a sorcery, you can only use instants in your battle phase!"

"What the fuck is a motherfucking instant?"

Finally they gave up and Gamzee plugged in his Wii, proceeding to play Mario Party. Tavros beat Gamzee in all the minigames, though at this point the taller boy was pretty much out of his mind and couldn't get his character (Luigi, of course; Tavros was always Boo) to do what he was thinking. Most of his time in the minigames was spent goofing off and giggling. When it got so late that Tavros was doing that sleepy head-bob, Gamzee shut off the Wii and simply turned on the television. At this point the only things on TV were infomercials and news stations, but Gamzee didn't care. Tavros was leaning on him, head resting on his shoulder as the black boy began to doze off. Gamzee hugged his shoulders and rubbed his cheek into his friend's Mohawk. He wondered if Tavros could hear his heart, and if so would think anything strange of its hard, hot beating. And then…

"We bring you tonight a breaking news story. Scientists think they have found a way to cure paralysis." Gamzee's eyes widened and he quickly shook his friend back awake. They watched the news story together.

"Using advanced stem cell research, scientist Lorelei Ampora believes she can restore the connections in the spinal cord between the brain and the legs – and any other body part. Ampora says there still is a ways to go, but after many tests on rats she has finally gotten one to walk again, however poorly. She says it will be only a short while until this can be translated to humans and make it as if paraplegics never lost their ability to walk in the first place."

Gamzee muted the TV as it moved into another headline, and stared wide-eyed at Tavros, who looked hopeful and astonished at the same time. Suddenly Tavros threw his arms around Gamzee's chest and squeezed him tightly.

"I could – I could walk again!"

* * *

A few months passed. As spring began to meld into summer, the stem cell operation became available to the general population – for a hefty price. Alone, the Nitrams would be unable to pay for it at all; but they had Gamzee Makara on their side. His dad was a CEO, and Gamzee never spent much money – indeed, what would he buy? After several long discussions (though oftentimes they were heated, and even became arguments), Gamzee finally managed to convince Faye and Farley to let him pay for their son's operation.

It was the middle of summer when Tavros was finally able to undergo the operation. At the hospital bed, the anesthesia was just starting to drip. His parents had politely left to go up to "get some coffee", leaving Gamzee there with him as he slowly fell under the effects of the drug.

"Gamzee, I'm so nervous about the, uh, operation," the boy mumbled shyly, staring at his hospital gown. "What if… what if something g-goes wrong?"

Gamzee grinned lazily and grasped his Tavbro's arm reassuringly. "Tavbro, if anything goes motherfucking wrong, you won't lose anything. The worst that can motherfucking happen is that nothing motherfucking happens."

Tavros's eyelids drooped. "I – I guess. Gamzee… thank you for… always being there…" His eyes closed, his breathing deepening. He succumbed completely to the anesthesia.

Gamzee moved his hand to Tavros's hand, and with the other brushed the black boy's cheek. _He just looks so motherfucking peaceful._ He leaned slowly over him, hesitantly staring at his eyelids. Then he bent down and gently kissed the slightly parted, snoozing lips.

He glanced up, saw Tavros's dad, and, startled, jumped back into his seat. He felt his face turn space heater as he tried to pretend that nothing happened. Farley was a huge man – tall, and built amazingly well. A skinny kid like Gamzee would snap in half like a dry twig if it was so desired. Farley sat down in a vacant chair next to Gamzee silently. Gamzee clenched his fists in an effort to stop them from shaking, his heard beating fast and cold. When he felt a powerful arm wrap around his shoulders, he didn't expect a one-armed hug. He looked up at his best bro's father, wide-eyed and surprised he wasn't murdered on the spot. Farley wore a small smile.

"Did I startle you?" he asked. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to check in on my boy and see if he was under yet."

Gamzee couldn't look at him in the eye. He felt hot and miserable. Most parents didn't like it when they walked in on their son's best friend kissing him. Especially not when that best friend was someone else's son. An awkward silence hung in the air.

Finally… "How long?"

Gamzee replied, "Ever since I met him."

"Gamzee, I'm not mad," Farley said. "Not one bit. In fact –" he laughed, "– I would be happy if it was you he chose. You've done so much for our little Tav. I'm only surprised that I didn't see this coming."

Gamzee stared at Tavros' unconscious form and didn't answer. Tavros's dad went on.

"Give him some time," was all he said, squeezing Gamzee's shoulder. "Who knows? It might work out. But he will need time." He stood. "I'm going to get the nurse. Are you coming to the viewing room?"

Gamzee chewed his bottom lip and shook his head. He didn't think he could stand seeing blood – especially not Tavros's. Why did people have to be big sacks of blood? It was like asking for a gruesome accident every moment of existence. Farley exited the room, leaving Gamzee behind.

* * *

Tavros's operation was a success. His legs were weak from lack of use, but they twitched when pricked with a pin. He was in tears when he hugged his mother, father, and Gamzee in turn. It would take some months of physical therapy for him to walk on his own successfully, so he rode home in his wheelchair. When they entered the apartment of the Nitrams, he was greeted with the rest of his close friends and their parents. Aradia was there, as well as Terezi and Nepeta and Kanaya. A "Welcome Home" banner was slung across the ceiling with bright orange letters. He received hugs from each of his friends.

The night was spent chatting, laughing, and sipping various flavors of Faygo. As the night drew to a close, everybody stood around Tavros. Gamzee stood by his side, holding the wheelchair in place as he shakily pushed out of it. Slowly, slowly, he stood.

It was wobbly. It was brief. But he was standing. Everyone cheered, and Tavros wore a large smile as he fell into Gamzee's waiting, steady arms.

As the rest of the party goers filed out, Gamzee was invited to stay – an invitation he happily accepted. He hated going back to that giant, empty suite. He loved spending time with his Tavbro. It was a win-win situation. Faye found him a blanket and an extra pillow and he slept on the couch, his feet sticking off the other side.

He was awoken the middle of the night by whimpering. He blinked, confused, trying to figure out what he was hearing. What was that sniffing sound? He rose and followed the sound, feet padding quietly on the floor. He pushed open the door to Tavros's room, looking at the huddled mass of his best bro. Posters of Peter Pan and of fairies stared down at him from the walls. When he heard the door open, Tavros looked over his shoulder at Gamzee before suddenly hiding his face again, shy and ashamed. Gamzee approached and sat on the edge of the bed and waited.

"I dreamed about _her_," Tavros mumbled at last. He sniffed. "She said, I wouldn't get to keep my legs for long; next time she'll rip them off."

Without a word, Gamzee lay down next to Tavros and wrapped his arms around him. Their bodies curled together naturally as Gamzee comforted Tavros. _See how perfectly we fit together?_ As Tavros's breathing steadied in the comfort of his best friend's embrace, Gamzee whispered, "I'll always protect you, Tavbro. No one will hurt you ever again."

* * *

By the time school started again, Tavros had grown much steadier. He could walk short distances without any problem, though still needed help for longer ones – help that Gamzee readily and happily provided. Tavros had graduated from the wheelchair to crutches and leg braces. They weren't a pretty sight to see, but it meant more independence for him. It was especially important because Gamzee didn't go to the same school as him, and wouldn't be there for support through the school day.

The end of September drew nearer, and Homecoming arrived as well. Gamzee loved these sorts of things, but never went, as he had no one to go with. He didn't interact much with his peers at his school – he didn't like most of them, and most of them thought he was weird and creepy (not unfounded; he did have a tendency to wear clown makeup to school). But Tavros was making very good progress and decided to bring him along. Besides, dancing would be a good exercise for his Tavbro.

Kanaya also went to Gamzee's school, and brought Terezi along to make it a group. The four of them danced together in a group, and they had a lot of fun despite the fact that Tavros frequently had to sit and rest. Gamzee was decked out in a polka dotted bowtie and facepaint, and offered to paint the others (they politely declined). And then, as the night was winding down, a slow dance played. Jokingly, Gamzee held out a hand to Tavros, who, grinning, accepted. Similarly, Kanaya and Terezi started their own friendly slow dance of two girl friends without dates.

Gamzee waltzed Tavros across the floor, practically holding him off the ground as they swung in circles. Neither of them actually knew how to waltz, but they tried their best. They were laughing, giggling, having a grand old time. They cleaved their way through the crowd. They snickered back at the couples who sneered at them, sticking their tongues out and shaking their heads at how serious they were. For the two of them, though, it was their senior year – their last Homecoming dance. Why would they take it seriously?

The song was coming to a close. Gamzee's grip was firm and warm on Tavros's hand and waist. They slowed, Tavros losing energy. The poor boy's legs were trembling from the exertion, but they were still supporting him. Gamzee was just happy to have him close. His heart was beating hard from dancing and from emotion. The song ended, and with it, the dance. As the guitar struck its final chords, Gamzee bent down and kissed him.

The rest of the students started filing out, slowly, thickly, like molasses through a funnel. The gym smelled like sweat and sneakers and rubber track.

Tavros's eyes stayed open. He didn't know what to think as another man's lips pressed against his own. His mind stopped working for a few moments. He couldn't comprehend the hand curled gently at the back of his neck, tilting his face upward. Couldn't comprehend the hot form of his best friend suddenly uncomfortably close to him. Couldn't comprehend the blurred face in front of his eyes.

Gamzee pulled away. It hadn't been a long time, but it had felt like an eternity to Tavros. He stood there stupidly as the slouched form of his best friend cowed. The slouch became more pronounced, one arm crossed in front of the chest to hug the other arm. Tavros took a step backwards.

The tall boy knew he shouldn't have done it. He had given into temptation, and probably ruined their relationship. His traitorous heart was a lead weight as Tavros turned and ran out of the gym, disappearing into the crowd of students. Kanaya and Terezi approached him, flanking him. A serious but soft glance was exchanged with Kanaya, who then ran after Tavros. Gamzee didn't look at Terezi, but they walked out together into the sickly night.

* * *

Gamzee didn't see Tavros for days afterwards. It had been too soon, too soon. If only he had waited! He confined himself to his room, escaping reality through the act of being high. He didn't go to school for a week. He wanted to call Tavros, but resisted. His Tavbro probably didn't want to see him ever again. Whenever that dreadful thought came up, he lit another joint. Reality was too much. It had all been too soon, too soon.

Two weeks after the incident, the phone rang. Startled, Gamzee raced to pick it up. No one ever called the house – he didn't give his number to many people, and everyone who knew his dad called his dad's cellphone. He answered the phone and was surprised to hear the voice of Farley Nitram.

"Gamzee, thank Gog," said the man, his gruff voice pitched higher than usual. "Have you seen Tavros? Is he with you?"

Gamzee cocked his head to the side, confused. "No, bro, haven't seen him for a couple of weeks." He made an effort not to swear to Mr. Nitram.

There was a pause on the other side. "Gamzee, did something happen between you and my son?" Gamzee's silence was all the answer Farley needed. He sighed. "I was hoping he'd be with you," he continued, "because he hasn't come home from school yet. It's almost dinner time, and he usually comes straight home. Even if he stopped to rest a lot, he should have been home by now."

Gamzee's heart was racing, throbbing painfully and sharply at his ribcage. "I'll go look for him," he said suddenly into the receiver.

"Gamzee, no!" exclaimed Farley. "Leave it to us!" But he had already dropped the phone.

* * *

Between the Nitrams' apartment and Tavros's school was a park. It wasn't the biggest one in the city, but it was pleasant and cool under the shade of its trees in warm weather. A pond shaped roughly like a kidney rested in the center of it, the reeds around it serving as a popular nest site for ducks. Tavros liked to go there often and watch the ducks, sometimes feeding them and watching the birds race to get to the food first. This is where Gamzee ran to now.

Mid-October meant that the wind was bitter cold, and there weren't many people in the park. Dead leaves were everywhere. The chill cut through Gamzee's purple hoodie, which was the only source of warmth he had bothered to grab before running out the door. He barely felt the cold. He was coming off of his high by this time, but he only had space in his mind to think about Tavros right now.

He headed straight to the pond. He skidded to a stop – there was the boy he was looking for, standing on the other side. He wasn't alone; forming a half circle around a tall girl were thugs of both genders. They looked mean and pretentious, like they owned the place and everyone else was allowed to be there because of their _kindness_. The girl, though, she was clearly the leader. With long, messy light brown hair and piercing blue eyes, she was already intimidating. One sleeve of her cobalt shirt was ripped off, and a chain hung off of her ear, piercing it in two places. Vriska Serket, the reason for Tavros's paralysis in the first place.

The other members of the gang were hanging back, and Gamzee suddenly knew why. His gut felt icy and dense. Tavros didn't appear frightened – his stance was wide, he was staring down Vriska. Even as he started to run to the other side, he could hear Vriska's loud voice croon at his Tavbro.

"Come on, Tavroooooooos, I'll even let you get the first _hit_!"

And then Tavros was running at her. Even as Gamzee called out, "Tavbro, no!" he ran full speed. It happened so quickly, Gamzee almost didn't see it. There was a flash of metal, a gut-wrenching gasp, and suddenly Tavros was falling, crumpling. He dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes, and Vriska kicked him away, laughing. Gamzee dropped to his knees and slid next to his best bro.

Tavros was curled up into a ball, hands pressed against his stomach. Vriska and her gang were already walking away. Tavros's eyes found Gamzee's. The tall boy gripped the black boy's arm tightly. Tavros smiled weakly.

"Gamzee…" he said faintly. "I… t-tried to face her d-down, so she wouldn't sc-scare me… anymore…"

Gamzee couldn't speak for the tightness in his throat.

The boy reached up with a hand covered in wet red blood and grasped his friend's hand. "Gamzee… I…" Suddenly the hand dropped. Tavros let out one last shuddering breath; his entire body relaxed. Gamzee bent down and closed his best bro's eyes, gently kissing the still-warm lips.

All he could feel was anger. White, hot _rage_ flooded him, swallowed him. His heart was a cold dead weight that had dropped into his stomach, to be there for eternity. He stood. His fists were shaking, his pupils contracted. He saw the world with a clarity he never had before.

"Vriska Serket!" he cried. The bitch turned, smiling. She very clearly didn't think much of him.

"Oh, you want a shot at me, too?" she asked, laughing. "Have a go then."

His field of vision narrowed. He saw only her. Saw how simply her head was attached to her shoulders, how easy it would be to cut into that flesh. She waited. He waited.

He took a step forward, then another. He wouldn't give her a chance to surprise him. Suddenly he darted forward and thrust his fist forward. She ducked under his arm and slashed upward with her knife. It cut across the bridge of his nose, leaving a deep scratch across his face. He howled and stumbled backwards, blood beginning to drip into one of his eyes. Dimly he saw her advancing. Off to the side one of her thugs was holding a baseball bat. He would need a weapon as well. They circled each other. He made careful mental note of where the bat was, and when he reached it, suddenly turned and wrenched it from the guy's grasp. He heard her running towards his exposed back. He whirled and swung the bat. It collided with her shoulder, and she went flying to the side.

Gamzee wasted no time. He wanted blood, blood, ruby red blood to match the blood staining his Tavbro's shirt and the blood sliding down his face. He hit her again and again with the bat. She fought back, slashing him on the arms, but he was relentless. Sickening crunch after sickening crunch was music to his ears. He wanted to hear it again and again.

Arms were pulling at him. The bat was yanked from his grasp. Two of the burliest thugs pinned him down, and Gamzee saw policemen running towards them. And he started laughing. He laughed at Tavros's corpse, laughed at Vriska's unmoving body, laughed at the blood everywhere, laughed at the policeman handcuffing him. He laughed at how easily life could be taken away, laughed at the fragile human body, laughed at the cruel reality of the world, laughed at his broken and dead heart. He laughed until he was lightheaded, until he could barely breathe, until tears started leaking from his eyes, until it was all he could hear. The policeman demanded he stop laughing, but he just couldn't. There was blood, blood everywhere. On his hands, on his favorite hoodie, on his face, in his hair, splattered on his shoes. And he couldn't stop laughing.

It was just too _funny_.

* * *

**Please review. Leave a suggestion if you have one. (I only really do pairings which are or COULD be considered canon, i.e. Karkat/Terezi or Sollux/Eridan. So no Feferi/Tavros or anything like that) (and also I have ideas for the trolls' human lives, so all I would need is a plot) (Also everyone is more or less in the same city)  
(Unless you want to see the sequel for this short story first. It does have one that I've thought of)**


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